Social media links

Empower’s ‘Smile at 24 Degrees’ Campaign Set to Drive Optimal Utility Savings for District Cooling Consumers

Press release

Published June 11th, 2017 - 10:23 GMT

Empower CEO Ahmad Bin Shafar

As the mercury rises,Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), the world’s largest district cooling services provider, has launched its nationwide summer campaign – ‘Smile at 24 degrees’. The campaign will be running for three months and it aims to reduce the energy consumption through optimal temperature setting, which will help to save the environment, energy, future for the generations to come, as well as save on energy bills.

To put simple ideas into action, Empower ran a pre-summer preparation campaign titled ‘8 Step Summer Campaign’ to ensure accuracy, efficiency and reliability of the usage of district cooling during the peak season. The pre-summer campaign offered residents simple, yet effective tips to prepare their room to face the summer months. It also offered revolutionary methods to reduce heat build-up in homes and lower monthly expenses in an eco-friendly way.

The campaign targets Empower's end-user customers, mainly in residential and commercial segments, which counts more than 65,000. The company will also gauge the change in consumption rates comparing to the same period last year in projects such as Jumeirah Group, Business Bay, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Jumeirah Lake Towers, and International Media Production Zone in order to assess the effectiveness of the campaign and responsiveness of its customers.

“It has been proven that setting the room temperature to 24 degrees Celsius is the most significant method to minimise energy consumption during peak summer days. Setting the right temperature not only helps you manage energy wisely, but also increases your savings,” said Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower.

It is estimated that up to 70 per cent of residential electricity bill comes from the use of air-conditioning. Air-conditioning is a necessity in the UAE, but its use and consumption leads to large energy bills and significant pollutant contribution to the atmosphere. However, setting the temperature to 24 degrees Celsius, regularly maintaining the air-conditioning unit and following a few simple steps can remarkably reduce the problems without compromising on quality or comfort.

Empower's summer campaign is conducted through a variety of mediums, including educational brochures, emails, text message and direct interaction with visitors of Empower customer service centres.

The company announced earlier that it has completed pre-summer preparation works at its district cooling plants and systems across Dubai to cater to the rapidly increasing demand during the hot months. System adjustments for the summer period included updates at Empower's state-of-the-art Command Control Centre that effect precise temperature control at units, smart calculators for accurate metering, bulk meter maintenance and temperature sensor verification. The process also ensures smooth functioning of networks and machineries, and readiness of emergency-response measures and tools.

“With the rise of smart-cities and green solutions in the UAE, Empower has been striving hard to create awareness about energy conservation and underline solutions that help preserve energy and reduce CO2 emissions. Our ‘Smile at 24 degrees’ campaign is another effort to drive the country towards its sustainable vision, while complying with best international standards,” added Ahmad Bin Shafar.

“We understand that comfort and energy consumption walk hand-in-hand. However, there is a lot more potential for residents to address energy use and cooling. A little effort in implementing a set temperature will not only lead to conservation of energy, but also reflect significant savings. Taking this as an opportunity, we encourage individuals and businesses to set their home and office temperatures to 24 degrees Celsius this summer to rationalise the energy consumption and increase the efficiency of the environment,” concluded Ahmad Bin Shafar.

Background Information

Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower)

Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (EMPOWER) was established in 2003 with an objective to enable the real estate sector to efficiently utilize energy resources through District Cooling Services (DCS). Empower was set up as a joint venture between Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and TECOM Investments a member of Dubai Holding through a Royal Decree issued by the Ruler of Dubai.